Some people hate the idea of adding proprietary software to their desktop Linux. For these people, there are Linux distributions such as gNewSense that use only free software. For the rest of us, who use distributions such as Fedora, openSUSE and Ubuntu, there are times we either want to, or feel forced to, add proprietary programs such as Adobe Flash or Skype or the ability to play proprietary audio and video formats such as MP3 or commercial DVDs to your Linux desktop. Here's how to do it.

What I'm saying is that, for all practical purposes, Linux runs a sub-set of the apps available to the OSX and Windows user.

This is an incorrect assumption on your part. Not every open source application is ported to Windows or let alone MacOS X. And if there is a port, it may be "second grade" solution like KDE/Cygwin on Windows, or all the crap on macports/fink/whatever the mac people use these days.

That is not a good place to be when you are all but invisible in OEM system sales. The kit builder - the technical hobbysist - does not drive adoption.